Professor Dame Heather McGregor, Provost and Vice-Principal at Heriot-Watt University Dubai
The past decade has conditioned us to believe that technological progress is primarily a function of code, computers and capital. Nowhere is this assumption more visible than in artificial intelligence, where breakthroughs are often described in terms of larger models, faster chips, exponential performance curves, and ever-inflated stock prices for companies like Nvidia and Microsoft. Yet for the delegates attending the recent India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, it was impossible to ignore a more fundamental truth: even in the age of AI, progress still runs on social capital.
The summit, hosted at Bharat Mandapam and drawing participants from across governments, industry, academia and civil society, was itself a demonstration of this principle. India positioned the event as a global convening focused on people, planet and progress, with strong representation from the Global South alongside leaders from Europe, North America and East Asia. Thousands travelled not to interact with machines, but to meet one another — to build social capital. Meeting other people allows for the exchange of ideas, testing of assumptions, forming of partnerships, and building of trust. Trust, let’s not forget, lowers transaction costs; the human interaction at the summit, rather than any single technical announcement, may prove to be the summit’s most enduring legacy.
AI can scale knowledge at unprecedented speed. It can automate advice, simulate expertise and optimise decisions. What it cannot do is create legitimacy on its own. Adoption, investment and impact still depend on endorsement by trusted networks, by policymakers willing to regulate responsibly, educators willing to redesign curricula, industries willing to deploy at scale, and communities willing to accept change. These decisions are social before they are technical.
India’s AI ambitions make this particularly visible. The country has committed to building a comprehensive AI ecosystem, from shared compute infrastructure and indigenous foundation models to skills development and public‑interest applications. But India’s scale and diversity mean that technical capability alone will not determine success. Trust, across states, sectors and borders, will be needed. The summit’s emphasis on international cooperation, ethical governance and inclusion reflects an understanding that AI systems must be socially embedded if they are to deliver meaningful impact.
This is where social capital matters most. Social capital formation is not simply the building of networks; it is the accumulation of credibility, reciprocity and shared purpose over time. It is what allows ideas to move from pilot to policy, from lab to market, from aspiration to impact. At the summit, partnerships were discussed not just in transactional terms, but as long-term collaborations shaped by values, governance norms and mutual accountability. In an era when AI systems increasingly influence livelihoods, rights and public services, those relational foundations are indispensable.
If we need more evidence for this, look no further than a recent big transaction announced here in Dubai. Informa recently announced a joint venture with Dubai World Trade Centre, combining their B2B live events businesses to create inD, one of the largest partnerships of its kind globally. The strategic logic is revealing. At a moment when digital platforms and AI‑driven matchmaking tools could, in theory, reduce the need for physical convening, the opposite is happening: demand for large‑scale trade fairs and industry gatherings is growing. Informa and DWTC’s investment rests on a simple but powerful insight — markets still rely on face-to-face trust, reputation, and relationship-building. Trade fairs persist not because information is scarce, but because credibility, partnership and commercial confidence are socially produced. If social capital were no longer central to progress, there would be little rationale for expanding global exhibition infrastructure or combining event portfolios at this scale. Instead, the continued growth of live B2B events underscores the same truth evident at the India AI Impact Summit: even in an AI‑enabled economy, innovation and adoption are accelerated when people meet, exchange signals of trust, and commit to shared futures together
Universities occupy a distinctive position within this landscape. Global universities are not just talent pipelines or research engines; they are conveners of trust across borders. They bring together scholars, students, industry partners and policymakers in spaces that privilege evidence, debate and responsibility. Institutions like Heriot-Watt University, with a long tradition of international engagement and strong links between engineering, data science, business and policy, exemplify this role.
The India AI Impact Summit underscored that the future of AI will not be determined solely by who trains the largest model, but by who builds the strongest coalitions. As India seeks to position itself as a bridge between the Global North and South in AI governance and deployment, its success will hinge on the quality of its networks as much as the power of its processors. AI may change how knowledge is generated, but it does not change how trust is earned.
Even in the age of AI, progress remains a profoundly human endeavour. It is built in rooms where people argue, collaborate and commit to a shared future. And it is sustained not by algorithms alone, but by the social capital that allows innovation to take root, travel and endure.
The author is also part of the organising committee for the Social Capital 2026 Conference, being held from March 26 to March 28 2026, at Heriot-Watt University Dubai
